When Florida Gulf Coast University opened its Emergent Technology Institute in 2016, it was supposed to be the first building in a research park.

The park was going to be a public-private project, located on 241 acres of land off Alico Road, known as the Innovation Hub. FGCU's hope was for the hub to be a center for sustainability and renewable energy research.

The hub never came to fruition, and the Emergent Technology Institute, or ETI, never blossomed into the bustling research facility FGCU hoped it would be.

"You know it's partly because this region continues to rest on a fairly non-diverse economic base — tourism, health care — but not the big burst of other things that would lead to partnerships," FGCU President Mike Martin said.

The new plan for the ETI is to use it for water-related initiatives and research. The idea to repurpose the building as a water research facility has been proposed before, but it was not carried out.

"Quite honestly, I am awfully pleased we have it," Martin said of the ETI. "It is perfectly available to us now for what may be one of the biggest adventures this university will get to go on in some time and that's to be a central player on this whole set of water issues, starting with red tide and blue-green algae."

Florida Gulf Coast University's Emergent Technologies Institute is located off of Alico Road. A research park was supposed to be developed on land surrounding the building, but it never came to fruition.(Photo: Thyrie Bland/The News Press)

"As we continue to evolve, this can be a way to really create a unique brand, a unique recognition of FGCU, and I expect that as we make an investment in that it will raise the game for everyone," Martin said.

The university also is planning to hire six professors with expertise in water research.

"If you are going to bring people like that in, you have got to have a place for them to practice at the highest possible level," Martin said.

The ETI, which is about six miles east of I-75, sits on 6½ acres of land that was donated to FGCU. State funds and a gift were used to pay for the $12.5 million, roughly 25,000-square-foot facility. The building houses five research labs, six classrooms, an all-purpose room and eight faculty offices.

The institute is also the home for FGCU's entrepreneurship program. The university is trying to raise $10 million so it can construct a home for that program on its main campus.

Martin.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

In 2016, FGCU board member Ken Smith pushed to reshape the ETI's focus after visiting it and noticing there was not much activity in the building. A task force was formed and asked to make recommendations as to how to use the facility.

Former FGCU board member Tom Grady, who was one of the task force members, made his own recommendation for the building: turn it into a center for water research.

"I don't how the board feels, but I think as a citizen of the region it's a great move and good direction," Smith said.

FGCU tried to buy the more than 234 acres of land that surrounds the ETI, but it was outbid by well-known developer Paul Hardy.

Hardy is turning the land into an upscale business park. He bought the land for $6.2 million from the John Backe estate and plans to sell it in pieces to buyers who will build their own facilities.

The land is being marketed as the Alico ITEC Park. ITEC stands for innovation, technology, enterprise and commerce.

"We will be selective as to who buys the land," Hardy said. "We will be involved in the approval process on what the buildings look like. We will be insisting that all the new owners in there utilize some form of renewable energy. We want to try to be as green as possible."

Hardy said he believes the expansion of a portion of Alico Road to four lanes as well as the housing projects going up in the area will make the land attractive to buyers.

"There is a lot of activity out there," he said. "We are feeling very bullish about the park and its location. It's really in the middle of everything right now, and a year ago it was isolated."